Hannah and Her Shoes

Walking in Someone Else's Shoes

Click shoes to see who it is!

Every shoe has tongue,

They all have a sole.

Every shoe has a heart

And a story to be told.

No matter what they look like

Whether old or new,

They are all quite different

Every single shoe.

Take the time to learn

What they have to say.

A whole different person.

Will be revealed today.

He's a man with quirky humor.

Remember Annie Hall?

On love and sex and death and life.

He's entertained us all.

 He was born December 1, 1935 in Brooklyn, New York. As a young boy, he became intrigued with magic tricks and playing the clarinet, two hobbies that he continues to do today. He broke into show business at age 15 when he started writing jokes for a local paper, receiving $200 a week. He later moved on to write jokes for talk shows, but felt that his jokes were being wasted.Speaks French. Refuses to watch any of his movies once released.Suspended from New York University.He loves Venice, and helped to raise funds to rebuild the Venetian theater La Fenice, which was destroyed by a fire. Chosen by Empire magazine as one of the 100 Sexiest Stars in film history (#89) (1995).

Did You Put That Noose Around His Neck?

Would you want your legacy to be that you hurt your child or another person's child because they weren't in an appropriate car seat or seatbelt in an accident?

Would you want your legacy to be that you hurt yourself, your family or someone else's family because you were on the cellphone or texting while driving?

Would you want your legacy to be that you hurt someone else or yourself because you were drinking and driving?

Would you want your legacy to be that you missed all of the warning signs of bullying or you didn't stand up against bullying because you didn't want to see it?

Of course not!

Ask yourself this...

Your Child's Legacy...
Would you want your child's legacy to be that of which they were the one who caused another child to feel so desperate that they took their life because of bullying?

Your Child is Being Mistreated!
Make sure you know whether your child is being mistreated at school. Teach your child to stand up for themselves or help them get out of the situation. It isn't just a kid thing. Listen to your children or look for warning signs like depression, fear of school, anxiety, anger, frustration and lack of friendships.

Your Child is a Bully!
Make sure your child isn't the BULLY. It is NOT just a kid thing. Teach our children to be empathetic (able to put themselves in the shoes of another, feel what they are feeling). You don't want your children to be responsible or feel responsible for the death of another child because they were bullying them. It won't matter whether you think it was their fault or not. What is done is done and it is what it is.

What kind of Role Model Are You Anyway?
Role model as a parent! They learn by example. If you speak unkindly of people or make it acceptable to say mean things or do mean things, then they will emulate that behavior. If you are "bullying" your child, they will imitate that behavior onto others.

Are you a Paper Wrinkler?

Take a clean white piece of paper. A blank canvas filled with potential and hope and creativity. Now crinkle it up. You can still flatten it out and use it but the wrinkles will always be there. The scars from mean words and actions don't go away and are still visible today. It doesn't matter who is doing the wrinkling to who.

There are things I still carry with me that I still fight with that people said to me when I was young.  They are the wrinkles in the paper that have made me feel unworthy and not good enough. I may not have had it as bad as some but even those few words or unspoken words, remain a part of a person for life. I can say now, I don't believe those words but that doesn't change how I felt at the time; humiliated, sad, mad, unworthy, ugly and small.

Did You Put That Noose on That Child?
Something even worse might happen in which you and your child (though you may not think directly) might have to live with the consequence of what bullying can push another child to do whether out of sadness ("Nobody needs me here.") or by revenge ("I'll get them by taking my life. They'll be sorry then.") No matter how you look at it, "the bully" will live with that for the rest of their lives just as if you killed someone texting and driving!

Please do not ignore either side of bullying. Every child deserves to be happy and feel safe. It saddens me to the core to think any child feels afraid or so desperate that they cannot live to their potential.  See both sides! See the flip side... where another point of view makes a better you!

We must fight bullying!





Inspired by an article from Kids Empowered this morning!
http://www.mynewsletterbuilder.com/email/newsletter/1411271207

Spring on the Flip Side

For fun, I wrote a Flip Side Story about the Lion and Lamb. 

 Pure Michigan

by amber j housey©2011

Whose Simple Shoes?

Walking in Someone Else's Shoes

She wore these shoes in a movie.
Click here to reveal whose shoes.

Every shoe has tongue,
They all have a sole.

Every shoe has a heart

And a story to be told.

No matter what they look like

Whether old or new,

They are all quite different

Every single shoe.

Take the time to learn

What they have to say.

A whole different person.

Will be revealed today.

She makes us laugh and makes us cry,

She's the girl next door.

She humbly accepts her accolaides.

She's one that most adore.

She was born in Atlanta, Georgia. She has a brother and sister. Her parents, one-time actors and playwrights, met while performing theatrical productions for the armed forces and later co-founded the Atlanta Actors and Writers Workshop in Atlanta, Georgia.While her mother was pregnant with her, she and her husband ran an acting school for children in Decatur, Georgia. The children of Martin Luther King, Jr. and Coretta Scott King attended the school. As a thank-you for their service, Mrs. King paid the hospital bill when she was born. Her parents later divorced. Her father died of cancer when she was ten.
She wanted to be a veterinarian as a child. She played clarinet in the band in school. Later she grew an interest in acting and after graduating high school she moved to New York City with her siblings.
She believes in and practices Hinduism. She has given her time and resources to UNICEF as well as to other charitable organizations. She is now one of highest paid actresses and an Academy Award winner. 


She is one of my personal favorites. 
To learn more...

Join the Battle & Win!

You didn't know that you could find a romantic retreat on a Mom blog, did
you?

Welcome to Battle of The Leading
Men!

Your Romantic Getaway...

Would you like to play?

Round 2 is
Here!

This Time with a Double
Giveaway!

Just Because

is NOW AVAILABLE! Get your copy now.
This book will teach your child the value of giving to those in need and how that action effects those they are helping. This book (and all Flip Side Stories) teach children how to see another point of view which inspires empathy and compassion for others; something our world is in desperate need of now.


We are so bombarded by bad news, tragedies, crime and violence. Our first reaction is to shut it out because it's hard to imagine there is anything we can do about it. The problem is that it is easy to become apathetic to the world around us causing us to not take action even in the littlest way. It is a way to protect ourselves and our emotions.


My books give parents and teachers a tool to teach children how to see new perspectives and to learn to walk in someone else's shoes. This encourages children to be nice to one another (a tool against bullying). From there, it can inspire the child and those reading to them, to take action no matter how big or small. As small as, "being nice" to as big as starting a charity and so much more in between.


It is important to me to have this book become successful so that the other Flip Side Stories can be published for the children of the world.

Watch this video to be inspired by the Flip Side.

If you like the video, please share it with everyone. Tell them how important it is to pass it on, pay it forward. Our children are our future. Help me mold a brighter future of action takers. Make it viral.
Do it Just Because!

Seeing the flip side, seeing another point of view, walking in someone else's shoes is the basis to being able to work well with others, collaborate and be a productive citizen.

I hope you will buy this book for your child and the children in your life because seeing another point of view makes a better you!

Do You Wear Your Heart on Your Sleeve?

I have ben MIA for a while. My book, Just Because, release has confused my routines.

Lessons for your kids....

Do You Wear Your Heart on Your Sleeve?

Subject: Emotions and Feelings

Objective: Teach children to identify with their emotions and share their feelings.

Materials: Book: The Way I Feel by Janan Cain

                           Small paper heart

                           Decorations

                           Feeling Faces worksheet (Younger- http://ow.ly/9tkKF) (older- http://ow.ly/9tkUn)

Set or Motivation: 

Play a little game of "How am I feeling?" Cover your face. Reveal it using some expression of being mad, sad or happy. Have the child or children guess your feeling.

Plan:                       

Read Story: The Way I Feel  (http://www.amazon.com/Way-I-Feel-Janan-Cain/dp/1884734715/ref=sr_1_6?ie=UTF8&qid=1330999175&sr=8-6)

Talk about feelings and how others know how you are feeling. Talk about how important it is to share your feelings and how important it is to notice other peoples feelings using body language and facial cues. If someone looks sad, ask yourself if  you are causing them to be sad or if they need help. If someone is mad, ask yourself if it is something you are doing or is there some way you can help them. How can you make someone happy or make someone smile? Talk about what it means to wear your heart on your sleeve and how that might make others feel or how others will respond to you differently if you do.

                              

Conclusion:    Cut out some paper hearts the size to fit on your sleeve. Decorate them and

 attach them to your sleeve. 

         

My son was more closed off with his feelings. He was actually hurting other people's feelings because they thought he was being mean. He was actually acting a bit shy. When my husband would come home he wouldn't openly give affection (he would turn his back for a hug) though he is a very loving boy. I had a talk with him about wearing his heart on his sleeve and how he could show that he cares about others by his actions. 

Now he smiles more at people, says hi, runs to hug his dad and tells him how much he loves us all the time. He needed permission to share his feelings. We also give our children permission to refuse affection that they are uncomfortable with. We told them they can put their hand out to shake hands instead of a hug or kiss or plainly say no thank you. A good person will understand.